1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technique for monitoring a connecting condition of communication between a terminal that can change a communication speed and a host apparatus through a network.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, there is a known communication system in which a terminal like a printer that can change a communication speed is connected to a host apparatus like a host computer (PC) through a network. For example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2001-154763 (JP 2001-154763A) discloses a communication system in which a printer is connected to a host PC via a wire LAN. The host PC that has a function of a communication monitoring apparatus monitors a connecting condition of the communication with the printer. In the communication system, the printer lowers the communication speed of the wire LAN so as to reduce power consumption of the entire printer when entering in a power saving mode.
However, the communication system of the above-mentioned publication shuts down a high-speed connection (link) with the host PC once and starts a low-speed connection when changing the communication speed of the wire LAN. In this case, although the shutdown time is a second order, an application, which can display status of the printer, of the host PC performs periodical checks with a time interval of a microsecond order. Therefore, whenever the communication speed is changed, the application determines that a communication error occurs as a result of the periodical check, and a status message of “communication error” is displayed. This is a problem.
Temporary communication shutdown accompanying the communication speed change is assumed to be recovered soon and is not a serious situation. However, a user cannot grasp the situation, which inspires the user with unnecessary uneasiness, increasing queries to a call center.